Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Alyssa Taylor, Director, Brand + Consumer Marketing at Penguin / Random House Publishing. She’s with us to discuss the upcoming Banned Books Week national celebration Oct. 5-11. The goal is to take action, save our stories, and preserve First Amendment rights by giving away free banned books to these communities and beyond;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

·        Mike Curtin, CEO, DC Central Kitchen, is in with all the details of the annual Capital Food Fight, coming up Thursday, Nov. 6 at The Anthem! This year’s celebrity guests include Amanda Freitag, Roy Yamaguchi, Eric Adjepong, Rocco DiSpirito, Ryan Zimmerman and our hosts Spike Mendelsohn and Tommy McFly;

·        Meghan Trossen, Senior Manager, Marketing & Community Affairs, Global Workplace Services, Capital One in to talk about the Capital One Center’s signature programming, community partnerships and the upcoming festival;                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

·        Chef Daniel Perron is with us – he’s formerly the Executive Chef at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, Trummer's, and Whaley's. Now he has opened his own place. It’s Locavore, a seasonal New American restaurant in historic downtown Fredericksburg;                                                                                                                      

·        Sam Nellia, head bartender at the Silver Lyan, a Rammy Award winner and, maybe even better, a recent selection to the prestigious North America's 50 Best Bars. They recently introduced a new cocktail menu, the result of  months of research and tinkering, and he’s in to mix up some samples of his good works.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Victoria Wu of Cakes by Happy Eatery;

·        Selva Chef Giovanni Orellana;

·        Louie Jocson of California Fish Grill;

·        And, to celebrate the Taste of Bethesda, Stephanie Coppula, director of marketing and communications, Bethesda Urban Partnership, along with Ruslan Falkov, co-founder, and Victoria Bespalchuk, from the award-winning Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant on Cordell Avenue.      

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

• Talk about the Dynamic Argentinian Duo! - Renato “Tato” Giovannoni is one of the world’s most celebrated bartenders. In fact, not long ago, when all lead bartenders from the prestigious, World’s 50 Best Bars were asked to name the one person who has done more to further the art of bartending than any Tato’s name topped the list.

• And his partner is Alex Resnik, former senior partner at Wolfgang Puck’s globally acclaimed Fine Dining Group by any measure one of the world’s leading creators of exciting dining experiences – They have joined to bring two spectacular, Argentine hospitality concepts -- Florería & Brasero Atlántico – to DC by way of Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Bahrain.  Joining them is their chef, Manuela Carbone;      

• Werten Bellamy of Great Oak Manor, a delightful, 12-room boutique hotel located in Chestertown, Maryland, overlooking the Bay        

• Christian Irabién, chef/owner of DC’s Amparo Fondita. Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off on September 15th, and Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations start September 16th. So, Amparo Fondita is marking the month with a series of special dishes, cocktails, chef collaborations, and a fundraiser.       

• Hospitality and spirits consultant Ashley McPherson is in to mix up some tasty cocktails and fill us in on the upcoming 9th Annual BOWSFest – the Black Owned Wine and Spirits Festival back on October 4th.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        A trip down memory lane - Mary Quillian, owner of Capitol Hill’s legendary Mr. Henry’s, which opened in 1966. It’s where Robert Flack was discovered and there’s a lot still going on there;                                                                                                        

·        Alaska’s Bristol Bay has the world’s most abundant wild sockeye salmon fishery, contributing over half of the global supply. Bristol Bay has been at the center of controversy often  across the past two decades. Home to more than 30 million salmon spawning annually, it is threatened by the Pebble Mine. Casey Coupchiak is a Yup'ik commercial salmon fisher from Togiak, Alaska who has fished in Bristol Bay for 16 years. She’s in with news about the upcoming Bristol Bay Salmon Week, a celebration of the health and wealth of that unique region;                                                                                                                                                  

·        Florencia (Flor) Agrazo is owner of Georgetown’s Flor. Coffee + Books. There you’ll find Buenos Aires–inspired café culture. amazing coffees, snacks and pastries -- and a placid atmosphere for finding and sampling some great reads;

·        Living or hanging out in Clarendon? Check out Westville, the seasonal veggie-forward, but not veggie-exclusive, restaurant founded by Jay Strauss more than 20 years ago in New York City. Jay joins us with his take on balancing tasty vegetable dishes with traditional faves like burgers and mac and cheese.                                                                                                                    

Mixing cocktails for us is Devin Felli of 14th Street’s Bresca;        

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Shawn Townsend of RAMW on the evolving policing situation in D.C.;                                                                                                                                                                                     

·        Zed Wondemu, a former restaurateur, talking about her first memoir, “Slanted Justice;”                                                                                                                                                                                

·        Urara Iwasaki, the chef-owner of Georgetown’s Koryouri Urara, describes her tasting menu rooted in Japanese homestyle cooking;                                                                                                                                              

·        Greg Heitzig, executive chef and general manager of The Fountain Inn in Georgetown, acquainting us with this 18th-century tavern, reborn as a rare and vintage spirits tasting room, whiskey bar and restaurant;                                                                                                                                         

·         Todd Thrasher, the celebrated barman-turned-rum-distiller, talking about his tiki place at The Wharf.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·         Cheetie Kumar, chef/owner of award-winning Ajja, in Raleigh, N.C.; Board Member and Vice President, Independent Restaurant Coalition, which is launching two first-of-their-kind grant programs:                               

o   The first Disaster Relief Fund designed by and for independent restaurants and;

o   An “Innovator Awards” for independent restaurants and bars doing innovative things to help their teams and communities;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

·        There‘s a lot of good chatter about the inventive Thai dishes served at Birdsong. Chef Kitima Boonmala is in and we’re gonna make her tell us all her secrets for tasty Thai cuisine;                                                                                                                         

·        Victoria Simmerling of Scale Hospitality, who is developing the food and beverage program at D.C.’s new Sixty hotel;                                                                                                                                                                

·        Lead bartender Lily Heredia of D.C.’s Gaia Supperclub, which opened in April, offering Mediterranean and Latin fusion cuisine with immersive entertainment inspired by nightlife experiences in Mykonos, Dubai, and Saint-Tropez.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Erin Hildreth, VP of communications for Responsibility.org, which works to eliminate both underage drinking and drunk driving and to promote responsible alcohol consumption. They have a cool app --The Virtual Bar -- a great tool to use before your first sip to plan how to pace your imbibing for a safe night out;                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

·        Here’s an old and good friend back on the show - Francesco Amodeo, founder of the acclaimed Italian liqueur distillery Don Ciccio & Figli, is a consultant for the new concept, Tarì Trattoria, in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market District. Two decades in the making, Tari is a love letter to the simple, bold flavors of his hometown of Furore, Italy, on the Amalfi Coast near Salerno;                                                                                                                                                        

·        You know Reid Shilling and his wife, Sara Quinteros, from their waterfront restaurant, the Shilling Canning Company. Not long ago they had a bird-brained idea to also open a stall in the Union Market District to pay homage to the crispy fried chicken that's so famously rooted in Amish culture. It’s Fancy Ranch Amish Fried Chicken. And we’ll be taste-testing it on air!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

·        Unless you live under a rock, you likely know the James Beard award-winning chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson recently opened Marcus DC. We enjoyed a special meal there and Marcus was on-hand for a great chat, as were his valued team members, D.C. native and Executive Chef Anthony Jones, and Rachel Sherriffe, executive pastry chef. Anthony and Rachel are in with us today;                                                                                                                                                     

·        AJ Irawan is the general manager of Nobu Washington DC and Andre Bastien is the bar director. Every month, Nobu DC features a new specialty cocktail, and AJ and Andre are in with tastes and talk of the light and lively cocktail they’ve teed up for August, the Ocean Bloom.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Paul Carlson of Lulu's Winegarden (three-time RAMMY finalist for "Wine Program of the Year");

·        If you’ve been wondering whether there’s a day dedicated to celebrating the almighty, delicious oyster, there is. National Oyster Day is Aug. 5, and Rick Allison, the chef/owner of the King Street Oyster Bar, is in with the details you need;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

·        Gianna Biscontini, a clinical behavior analyst and the founder of Expanded Women’s Health + Wellness, offering a transformative mental health and wellness experience tailored for women, the AFAB community and male allies of female-focused spaces;

·        Gelato is an artisanal gelateria serving the yummiest, fresh gelato and sorbet. There’s a new store coming to 14th Street this winter to join Pitango’s other stores around the DC Metro area. Dinah Bengur, Pitango’s CEO, is in with the sweets and the deets.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Shawn Townsend. President and CEO of  RAMW on Initiative 82, the RAMMYs and more;                                                        

·        Matt Hetrick, president and owner of accounting firm Harmony Group, the premier restaurant-focused accounting firm in the US. He acts as CFO for more than 150 hospitality businesses around the U.S.;                                                                                

·        Kyle Francis, co-founder and COO of Picnic, a fast-growing startup that acquires small food brands from founders who are looking to hand over the reins;                                                                                                                                                                                

·        Michael Riojas, beveragedDirector at Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen and Bar in Alexandria.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Agave, baby! Mitchell Linton, CEO, Tony Ajayi, president, and Zachary Spence, CMO – all of 3708 American Agave Spirits –talking the difference between tequila and agave spirits;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

·        They are husband and wife. And they are incredibly talented chefs who are getting handfuls of accolades heaped on them. They are Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss and they’re teamed with our friend, much-admired restaurateur Omar Popal, in two of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, Lutece and Pascual. In the course of things, both Matt and Isabel are themselves in the spotlight with James Beard and Rammy nominations. How do they do it and keep restaurants innovative and love alive? Matt and Isabel join us to reveal all;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

·        Owning a restaurant is in Tim Ma’s blood. Trained as an electrical engineer, he chucked it all, went to culinary school, opened a tiny spot in Vienna, Virginia that blew up and .. the rest is history. Today, Tim has his hands in a lot of projects. The newest is Lucky Danger in Chinatown, billed as an American Chinese restaurant brought to us by a Chinese American chef;                                                                                                                                                                                            

·        Georgetown salon owner Jack Howard is a L’Oreal Ambassador and hair colorist with over 40 years of experience. Jack’s a family friend, and we’ve brought him in today to talk about his successful approach to customer service and long-term relationships and how that mirrors the concept of providing hospitality.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.